Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog, arguably Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, was the star and host of The Muppet Show, played a significant role on Sesame Street, and served as the logo of The Jim Henson Company. He continues to star in the Muppet movies and makes numerous TV appearances. Kermit grew up with thousands of siblings and has talked occasionally about other members of his family. His childhood adventures were chronicled in the 2002 video Kermit's Swamp Years. Kermit also has a nephew named Robin. Miss Piggy insists that she and Kermit were married in The Muppets Take Manhattan, and that they're very happy. Kermit disagrees, claiming that it was just a movie and that in real life, they have a "professional relationship" (meaning he thinks they're professionals and she thinks they're in a relationship).1 Kermit's most well-known catchphrase is "Hi-ho, Kermit the Frog here!" He typically introduced acts on The Muppet Show by waving his arms wildly and shouting "Yaaaay!" (a technique he learned from his old acting coach, Mr. Dawson). Kermit has been credited as the writer of three books: For Every Child, A Better World; One Frog Can Make a Difference; and Before You Leap. Character origins The earliest version of Kermit first appeared in 1955 on Sam and Friends, Jim Henson's five-minute puppet show that aired twice daily on WRC-TV. The soon-to-be-famous frog had humble origins, as Henson explained in 1977: "I'd paint the scenery, and Janie would carry it in the station wagon. We made the first Kermit from one of my mother's old coats with Ping-Pong balls for his eyes."2 Kermit was built in March 1955.3 The character, however, was first copyrighted in 1956. Kermit's voice was inspired by a similar voice that Stan Freberg used to do.4 In the early days of the character, Kermit wasn't yet a frog -- he was more of a lizard-like, abstract character. As Henson explained, "Kermit started out as a way of building, putting a mouth and covering over my hand. There was nothing in Kermit outside of the piece of cardboard -- it was originally cardboard -- and the cloth shape that was his head. He's one of the simplest kinds of puppets that you can make, and he's very flexible because of that... which gives him a range of expression."5 In later years, Henson said that Kermit didn't become a frog until the 1971 special The Frog Prince,6 a claim that made its way into the 1993 book Jim Henson: The Works.7 However, Kermit's froghood asserted itself as early as 1965, when Johnny Carson referred to him as "Kermit the Frog" on a December 31st Tonight Show appearance.8 The 1966 Montgomery Wards catalog which featured the Ideal Muppet puppets refers to Kermit as a "fanciful frog". Kermit refers to himself as a frog in the 1968 special The Muppets on Puppets. The special Hey Cinderella!, which was recorded in 1968,9 featured a redesigned Kermit puppet; his round feet were replaced with flippers, and he was given a fringed collar with thirteen points.10 By the time that Kermit appeared on the Sesame Street Pitch Reel, he was a full-fledged frog. Kermit sported a double collar for a brief period in the early 1970s, including in the TV special The Frog Prince and several early seasons of Sesame Street, but by the time he took over as the level-headed but often exasperated host of The Muppet Show, it was changed to the trademark single collar with eleven points that he still wears today. Kermit on Sesame Street '' Kermit's most famous role on ''Sesame Street was his appearances as a news reporter for the Sesame Street News Flash segments, interviewing characters from nursery rhymes and fairy tales. One of his most memorable works was the song "Bein' Green." Some of his other famous Sesame Street songs include "This Frog," "On My Pond," and "Caribbean Amphibian." He has also given many lectures on simple subjects. Some of Kermit's Lectures have been for the letter W, hands, and "Tall and Short." He appeared in the "Monsterpiece Theater" segment "Gone with the Wind," as well as an appearance in a "Miami Mice" sketch. Kermit was also seen at his home on Sesame Street; Grover would often come to Kermit's house and sell things a frog can't use (such as toothbrushes and earmuffs). When he wasn't being disturbed, Kermit would occasionally sing to an imaginary audience at home; on one occasion, he performed "My Polliwog Ways" while imagining that his living room was a nightclub full of guests. Kermit also took part in several talk spots with kids. Unlike other Sesame Street characters, Sesame Workshop never had any ownership of Kermit the Frog. Because of this, Kermit has rarely been part of Sesame Street merchandise. He has appeared in many Sesame Street''videos, most notably ''Big Bird's Storytime and, of course, The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street. His songs have also appeared on many Sesame Street albums. The only Kermit toy released as a Sesame Street''toy was the Magic Talking Kermit the Frog plush, released in 1999. In 2005, he appeared on a ''Sesame Street winter hat by Berkshire Fashions. While Kermit the Frog is owned by The Walt Disney Company, Sesame Workshop retains the right to show old Kermit segments in various outlets. Kermit's only appearance in new content on Sesame Street since Disney's acquisition was making a cameo in Elmo's World: Frogs in the 2009 season 40 premiere episode. When the Muppet TV special Hey Cinderella! aired on ABC in 1970, criticism arose that Kermit the Frog had become too commercial, and that the character would be dropped from Sesame Street. "When the new season starts November 9, expect changes. There will be no more know-it-all frog, since Kermit, the one Muppet who is not exclusive to Sesame Street, is opting out to do commercials" (Look, Sept. 22, 1970). Time Magazine reported with slightly more detail: "Kermit the Frog is being canned for commercialism. When Sesame Street was just a glint in Joan Ganz Cooney's eye, Kermit taped a special in Canada. When it was given a network airing, the frog was compromised. Or so Henson decided. .... He is being phased out of the show. He will be replaced by such Muppets as Herbert Birdsfoot and Sherlock Hemlock" (Time, November 23, 1970). Ultimately, of course, that did not turn out to be the case, as Kermit returned as a regular Sesame Street character in the third season (1971). Specials Kermit has appeared in almost every major special from The Jim Henson Company. He had a fairly major supporting role in Hey Cinderella!, had a major role in The Frog Prince, and narrated Tales of the Tinkerdee, The Muppet Musicians of Bremen, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, The Christmas Toy, Billy Bunny's Animal Songs, and Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree. However, when The Muppet Show was in development, Kermit was not intended to be the main character. In The Muppets Valentine Show, he had a major supporting role and starred in two sketches, but the main character for that special was Wally. In The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence, Kermit appeared in the audience during the wrestling sketches and had one line in "At the Dance." After that special was made, Jim Henson realized that the pilot's host, Nigel, was not working out as a main character, and it was suggested to Henson that Kermit be the star instead.11 Since Kermit was the main character on The Muppet Show, it makes sense that he appeared in every special relating to The Muppet Show, usually as the main character. In The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show, he had the job of being the director of the special. In The Muppets at Walt Disney World, it was revealed that the swamp where he grew up at is located near Walt Disney World. Kermit was one of the main characters in the hour-long TV special A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa that aired on NBC, and also appeared in the Studio DC: Almost Live specials that aired on Disney Channel. Changing Performers After Jim Henson died, Steve Whitmire took over as Kermit. Whitmire's first performance as Kermit was in The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson, when he appeared at the end of the special. For the next few years, Kermit's function in Muppet productions became reminiscent of his earlier roles in the Tales from Muppetland and other specials, functioning as either narrator or in supporting roles, observing or commenting on the action but rarely as the central focus or starting point of the plot. Examples include his literary parts in The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, and the direct-to-video Muppet Classic Theater. On Muppets Tonight, though Kermit still introduced the guests, he usually played a more detached role, as producer. As performed by Whitmire, Kermit also hosted the Muppet Sing-Along''videos and starred in his own album, ''Kermit Unpigged. After supporting roles on Muppets Tonight and the first three Muppet movies made after Jim Henson's death, Kermit became the central character in Kermit's Swamp Years and It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. Jane Henson reflected on the recasting, in a 1990 interview: "Steve Whitmire as Kermit: "When Jim was alive, he said if anything happened to him, Kermit must go on right away. Because of Kermit's significant place, Jim had essentially chosen who he thought could do it. But we don't want to say who it is before the show. The performer needs time. Kermit won't come back so strong at first. Then little by little, he will get his whole personality back."12 In 2011, Dave Goelz reflected on Kermit after Jim passed away; “When Steve Whitmire took over Kermit, the character jumped a bit. It was definitely Steve's impression of Jim's Kermit, but then it went along this parallel track and developed even further into something that fit Steve. The fact that Steve was there, and that he had the ability to do this, was really quite an incredible stroke of luck.13” John Kennedy performed Kermit for a demonstration at Muppetfest in 2001 (opposite Whitmire's "young Kermit") and in 2006 for Muppets Ahoy! During September 2009, Kermit was performed by Artie Esposito for appearances on America's Got Talent, the MTV Video Music Awards and the second day of the D23 Expo singing "The Rainbow Connection" (Kermit was mute in other footage taped for the event, and absent from subsequent days. It was explained to the audience that this was because he was in New York at the VMAs) In 2017, fan blog ToughPigs.com published a statement from Disney, "Steve Whitmire is no longer working with the Muppets." Following Whitmire's departure, it was revealed that Matt Vogel would take over performing duties beginning with a Muppet Thought of the Week. Casting History Main Performers * Jim Henson: Sam and Friends (1955) to The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990) * Steve Whitmire: The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990) - Pigs in Space Web Series Episode 2 (2016) * Matt Vogel - Muppet Thought of the Week (2017) to Present Alternate Performers * John Kennedy — Muppetfest (2001), Muppets Ahoy! (2006) * Artie Esposito — America's Got Talent, the MTV Video Music Awards, D23 Expo (2009) * Unknown — off-screen dialogue for some portions of The Case of the Stolen Show (2012) Category:Muppet Characters